January 1, 2020
Seasonal changes--and outfit changes, too. As children fling open their doors to run outside, the titular question comes to mind: "Do I have to wear a coat?" Laid out in a similar style to those in Isadora's previous musing on the senses, I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, See, Touch, and Taste It, Too!) (2016), various vignettes of diverse tots explore spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each season is opened with a picture of the same pigtailed white youngster and a dog looking at a tree. As the seasons change, readers see differences to the leaves and changes to the child's clothing. Spring brings flowers, baseball games, sidewalk chalk, and raincoats. Summer brings ice cream, fireflies, sand castles, and no coats at all! In the fall, sweaters are warm and cozy accompaniments for hayrides, jumping into leaf piles, and apple picking. Winter, the coat-iest season, brings snow angels, frosty air, steamy hot chocolate, and of course, bundles and bundles of coats! Isadora explores the seasons not only through outerwear, but also activities that are intimate and familiar to those who experience these seasons. Vignettes include racially diverse children; two kids in sports wheelchairs play tennis, and an amputee on crutches plays soccer. Children will feel each season deeply, with or without their coats! A fresh perspective on a cyclical topic. (Picture book. 3-6)
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February 1, 2020
PreS-Gr 1-Isadora's latest offering begins by listing all the seasons and then asking; "Do I have to wear a coat?" First up is spring and viewers learn that the weather is delightful, new farm babies are born, and it's a perfect time to play outside and smell the flowers. However, when it rains in the spring, out come the raincoats. Next comes summer, full of ice cream and camping outside and going to the beach; there is no mention of a coat. Fall and winter are covered in the final pages with scenes of all their beauty and multiple activities that they offer; here the text mentions wearing sweaters in the fall and the necessity for a coat in the winter. The book hosts a lovely cast of adorable children interacting in each season. Every other page has the four seasons listed on the top with the "featured" season in a larger font with a distinct color. VERDICT A solid primer to introduce the seasons, but not an essential purchase.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 15, 2019
Preschool-K This pleasant picture book highlights activities that children enjoy as the seasons cycle through the year. Each of the volume's four sections opens with the same little child standing and gazing at the same little tree. In every season, the tree changes and so does the child's clothing. Typically, several images appear on each large, double-page spread, such as the four winter-themed pictures illustrating this line: Sometimes it snows all night- / and we get to play all day . . . / throwing snowballs, / and making snow angels. Each scene focuses on a single child or a small group. The young characters are racially diverse and differently abled, with two girls in wheelchairs playing tennis and a boy on crutches using his one leg to kick a soccer ball. Isadora's illustrations, rendered in fine ink lines with bright watercolor washes, have a fresh, airy quality and a cheerful tone. A good book for starting discussions about the seasons and sharing with young children at any time of year.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2020
Isadora's (I Hear a Pickle, rev. 1/16) characteristic ink and watercolor art uses vignettes set against white backgrounds to show children joyfully experiencing the changing seasons. At the start of each section (and season) a young girl looks up at a tree. As the year unfolds and the seasons change, so too do the tree and the girl's clothing. Brief text and coordinating illustrations highlight the distinct natural elements and activities that each season brings (at least in northern climes). Statements about the seasons ("In summer, bees buzz"; "Fall is for hayrides, pumpkins, and trick-or-treating") are interspersed with children's first-person narrations ("We skate on the ice. / We breathe the frosty air"). The final page completes the cyclical journey, bringing readers back to the beginning by answering the title's question: "In spring I wore a raincoat. / In summer it was too hot for a coat. / In fall we wore sweaters. / In winter I HAD to wear a coat!"
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
March 1, 2020
Isadora's (I Hear a Pickle, rev. 1/16) characteristic ink and watercolor art uses vignettes set against white backgrounds to show children joyfully experiencing the changing seasons. At the start of each section (and season) a young girl looks up at a tree. As the year unfolds and the seasons change, so too do the tree and the girl's clothing. Brief text and coordinating illustrations highlight the distinct natural elements and activities that each season brings (at least in northern climes). Statements about the seasons ("In summer, bees buzz"; "Fall is for hayrides, pumpkins, and trick-or-treating") are interspersed with children's first-person narrations ("We skate on the ice. / We breathe the frosty air"). The final page completes the cyclical journey, bringing readers back to the beginning by answering the title's question: "In spring I wore a raincoat. / In summer it was too hot for a coat. / In fall we wore sweaters. / In winter I HAD to wear a coat!" Cynthia K. Ritter
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)